ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Bloom expressed his desire for an agreement between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to restart Washington’s stalled $6.5 billion bailout program. The country’s willingness to help in its efforts has been assured.
Ambassador Bloom also indicated that the IMF bailout package for Islamabad will be finalized in a couple of days.
“The United States stands ready to cooperate with Pakistan to help on this issue,” Bloom told reporters at an event on Tuesday.
The envoy also expressed Washington’s willingness to help Islamabad deal with the ongoing challenge of terrorism.
Bloom, who recently visited major cities in Pakistan to meet groups from various walks of life, said there has been significant progress in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The IMF and Islamabad have been negotiating a stalled bailout package since late last year, with the country seeking a $1.1 billion tranche to tackle its worsening balance of payments crisis. It will also pave the way for friendly wealthy capitals to provide support to curb the ongoing crisis. Financial complications.
Pakistan and the IMF are engaged in talks to reach a mutually agreed package that will help the cash-strapped country emerge from the ongoing economic crisis.
Interestingly, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said last week that Pakistan will enter into a Staff Level Agreement (SLA) with the IMF in a few days, as the government is committed to completing the loan program signed in 2019. Is.
After failing to convince the lender, Dar had reportedly approached the US envoy earlier this week to seek “lenient treatment” from the fund to stick to its demands.
